Shinobi Horcrux Hunt
by iyfanatic
Summary: HP Xover. Naruto, Neji and Shikamaru are on a mission to protect Harry and help Dumbledore retrieve the Horcruxes, not yet knowing he's dead. Harry meets them in his place, and from there their adventure begins. SasuNaru, NejiNaru
1. Chapter 1

IY: I know, I know. I should be updating my other fics, I'm a bad author, yadda, yadda... :) I'm sorry, but I just couldn't get this idea out of my head.

Kit: We had to write it out. It's a miracle when she gets inspired.

IY: Oh, shut up you mangy fox! Anyway, this is set after the **sixth book** (with a little tweaking here and there) and **manga chapter 318**. Regretfully, I have only seen up to **episode 173** in the anime. But in case you haven't reached that point yet and don't want spoilers, kindly hit the back button instead of leaving a flame.

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**Disclaimer**: I do not claim ownership to anything having to do with the Harry Potter series or the Naruto manga and anime. They are licensed to other people and I am not making any money off of this fic. I only own the plot, kindly ask for permission before taking stuff out of it.

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**Warning**: Shonen-ai (BoyxBoy), Language, and possible Lime later on, in which case I will up the rating.

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**Shinobi Horcrux Hunt**: Chapter One  
Written By: IYfanatic and her crazy muse, Kitzuko

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Harry sighed, looking glumly out his foggy window at the hulking forms of the neighboring houses situated on Privet Drive. The street lamps along the street cast feeble patches of yellow light downwards, hoping to light up the road, but only made the surrounding shadows that much deeper.

After one last forlorn glance down the empty street, Harry moved his eyes towards the heavens, inspecting the pre-dawn bleakness for any sign of Hedwig. His snowy owl, pet, and faithful companion had disappeared a few nights ago and had yet to return.

Harry had assumed that she was simply going hunting for a snack, but now he was beginning to become slightly worried. She had never been gone for so long before, at least not when she didn't have explicit orders to stay away.

A quick glance towards his alarm clock caused another heavy sigh to escape his thin, lanky form; it was three a.m. already and he had yet to even touch his bed sheets. Vivid green eyes swept the skies again, but seeing nothing worthy of their interest, they rested on his forgotten bed.

Settling under the covers with a tired groan, Harry tried to keep his heavy-lidded eyes open. He had been getting little sleep since his return from school, and Harry liked it that way. Sleeping meant nightmares, and he wasn't ready to deal with some of those images yet.

Bored with his inspection of the ceiling, Harry turned his eyes to the wall beside his bed. The small calendar hanging there brought back memories of a time when he happily counted down the days until his return to school.

With a small smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, Harry thought, _"Too bad that I don't have anything to look forward to anymore."_ With the closing of Hogwarts, he had nowhere to go when summer break ended.

In fact, the only reason he was even here was in respect of Dumbledore's wishes. Harry was not of legal age in the wizarding world yet, and the Headmaster had wanted him to stay in the Dursley's home until that time arrived.

He had been here for two days already, and later today he would be heading to the Burrow. There had been enough time for Dumbledore's blood protection to activate, and that was enough for him.

The thought of Dumbledore's death brought forth a harsh pang of guilt; similar to the one he felt when thinking of Sirius' fall through the veil, only not quite as strong. Dumbledore's passing was not directly his fault, but he still felt responsible.

"_That brings the count up to three."_ Harry's morbid thoughts brought another mocking smile to his lips; a smile eerily similar to the one that constantly adorned the face of the person he most despised.

Voldemort was a constant in his dreams now, no matter how hard Harry tried blocking his mind with his partial knowledge of Occlumency. It was only natural that some things would rub off on him.

"_If I'd tried harder, I could have at least stopped Snape from getting away! But I never learned how to properly block my mind, and he took advantage of that! I should've been better, I should've stopped him, I should've done _something_…."_ The rest of his mental rant faded as he drifted slowly into the Sandman's clutches.

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-----Line Break Doesn't Work-----Too Bad-----Deal With It-----  
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"Oi, gaki! Pay attention, would you!" Naruto jumped, startled. He looked sheepishly at Tsunade, blushing slightly at being caught unaware. "Heh, gomen Baa-chan!"

Tsunade shot him a withering glare that he simply shrugged off, and then turned back to the mission briefing. "As I was saying, you three will be going to England to protect this 'Harry Potter' kid. You're to help his sensei, Dumbledore, destroy some 'Horcrux' things, but do NOT be showing off your skills! Try to blend in. This goes for you too, Naruto. No Oiroke no Jutsu crap!"

She glared at him until the short blond shifted uncomfortably where he stood. Taking that as a sign that he got the message, she said, "Hyuuga, Nara, you're dismissed. Come back tomorrow at 6 a.m. sharp, with all your stuff ready to go. Naruto, stay for a bit. I need to talk to you."

Neji sent him a sympathetic look as he walked out, but Shikamaru simply gave him his usual bored gaze and said, "Hurry up, we're going to meet the others at Ichiraku later." Naruto grinned, "Hai, hai! I won't be late!" The lazy Chuunin rolled his eyes at the blonde's exuberance, but nodded farewell.

After the others left, Naruto turned back to Tsunade, who had been quietly observing their interactions. "So, who are these 'others'?" she asked, raising a blonde eyebrow at him.

Naruto laughed, flopping down in a chair. "Oh, you know, the others! Hinata, Sakura-chan, Kiba, Lee, Ino, TenTen, Shino, Chouji, Neji, Shikamaru- the whole gang! We've been meeting at least once a month to catch up and tell each other what's going on and stuff."

Tsunade grinned, "Still calling her Sakura-chan, ne? Even though she's already going out with Lee?" Naruto pouted, "You don't have to keep reminding me, ya know!" With a light scowl, he changed the subject. "Anyway, why did you want me to stay, Baa-chan?"

Tsunade's happy mood vanished quickly. "Well, Jiraiya discovered some things that might interest you…" she trailed off, not sure how to continue. "Is it about Sasuke!" Naruto asked, excited.

"Don't get your hopes up, gaki; but yes, it has to do with Sasuke and Orochimaru."

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-----Line Break Doesn't Work-----Too Bad-----Deal With It-----  
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"Sasuke-kun." The dark-haired young man in question looked up from his kneeling position, cold and carefully blank eyes staring at the snake Sannin, awaiting instruction.

"Did you do what I asked of you?"

A sharp nod was his response, face remaining impassive. Orochimaru chuckled, "Your improvement is showing, Sasuke-kun."

A faint glimmer of surprise flickered through dark eyes, before being quickly hidden. "Now, now. I am allowed to praise your achievements once in a while, aren't I?"

Not bothering to answer the clearly rhetorical question, Sasuke asked, "When will we be leaving, Orochimaru-sama?"

"Patience. We will go when the time is right. Tell the shinobi to prepare; we don't want them to be left behind if we have to leave suddenly, now do we, Sasuke-kun?"

"No, Orochimaru-sama," with a curt bow, Sasuke left the dungeon-like room that Orochimaru resided in.

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He he, that's it. :) Please review, ne? Tell me what you did and didn't like. I might consider changing the story line a bit based off your suggestions.


	2. Chapter 2

IY: Okay, I know it's a little shorter than my usual 1000 plus words per chapter, but it _is_ a faster update.

Kit: Yeah, so don't go and complain.

IY: Go back to the first chapter for the warning and the disclaimer and all that good stuff. I'm simply too lazy to type it all again. Enjoy!

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**Shinobi Horcrux Hunt:** Chapter Two  
Written by: IYfanatic and her crazy muse, Kitzuko

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Naruto fiddled with the hem of his Chuunin vest, his eyes sheepishly fixed on a point somewhere to the left of Shikamaru's sharp brown gaze. The young Nara remained stoically silent, knowing that the blonde would eventually speak without prompting.

"Oi, Shikamaru! It wasn't my fault! Konohamaru came over last night after I left Ichiraku and apparently he thought it would be funny to mess with my alarm clock…" Naruto paused, sighing, "Gomen nasai, and thanks for coming to wake me up."

Their third team member fixed him with a stern glare. "Naruto, I've told you countless times to always check your alarm before going to bed." The blonde boy winced, causing Neji's white eyes to soften.

"Shikamaru and I have already met with Hokage-sama, and right now we're only a little bit behind schedule. We should get going now, ne?"

Naruto perked up, "You're not mad…? Yatta! You're the best, Neji!" The hyper ninja glomped the older teen, causing Neji to wobble dangerously. The Hyuuga genius quickly regained his balance though, and allowed Naruto to hang off his thin frame.

Shikamaru smirked, watching the proceedings with an amused glimmer in his eyes. "You're so troublesome, Naruto." The blonde boy grinned, winking one of his bright blue eyes. "You know you love me, Shikamaru!"

The lazy teen scoffed, but he remained otherwise silent. Smirking in victory, Naruto let go of Neji and skipped off towards the nearby gate. "Oi, Naruto! Do you even know where we're going?"

Blinking, Naruto turned a confused gaze towards the young Nara. "Ano sa, I was hoping you would." Neji chuckled as Shikamaru hung his head, exasperated. "We are supposed to meet our client at the West gate, Naruto."

The blonde boy beamed, "I was going the right way then! See, Shikamaru?" The aforementioned teen shook his head, sighing, "So annoying…"

With a slight smile, Neji brought them back on track. " We should get going or we will be late to our meeting with the client." Naruto's brows furrowed, "Nani? I thought we were already late."

"Our mission doesn't officially start until eight; Tsunade-sama just told us to be in her office early since she knew you'd be late. Kakashi-sensei has really rubbed off on you, Naruto."

The blonde boy's eyes widened drastically, "Nani! You made me apologize for nothing? Shikamaru no yarou!"

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"Be ready to leave tomorrow." Sasuke said briskly, not bothering to even glance at the assembled Otogakure ninja. "Hai!" Sasuke gave a brief nod, then turned and walked away.

"You should show more respect, Sasuke-kun. They are, after all, under your command and willing to die for you." Sasuke sniffed derisively at the speaker, then said, "Kabuto."

The older man glanced at him, "Hai?" "Urusai. These bakas wouldn't know loyalty if it poked them with a kunai." Kabuto chuckled, "You would know, ne Sasuke-kun?"

The youngest Uchiha glared, Sharingan starting to spin dangerously. "What do you want, Kabuto?" "Are, are Sasuke-kun. No need to get so worked up. Orochimaru-sama asked me to tell you to get some rest."

Sasuke snarled, "You bothered me for that!" The white-haired young man glanced at the cave ceiling, finger at his chin in exaggerated thought. "Hmm… I think I'm forgetting something…"

Kabuto glanced quickly at the Uchiha, smirking when he found Sasuke bristling with annoyance. "Ah, I remember. Orochimaru-sama said there was a possibility that Konohagakure might know of our mission."

Sasuke's eyes widened fractionally, "Konoha?" Kabuto nodded, "Aa. Jiraiya-sama is quite efficient at gathering information… When he's not peeping, of course. I wonder if Naruto-kun is still traveling with him?"

Kabuto enjoyed watching the way Sasuke's lips tightened and his brows drew together. It was not often that the Uchiha showed any type of emotion.

"Naruto…"

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"Are you sure you wanna do this mate?" The youngest Weasley son sported a worried frown as he looked at his best friend, the famous Harry Potter. Jade eyes continued to stare out Ron's window at the pouring rain as he answered, "I have to finish what Dumbledore started."

There was a loud sigh from the female of the Golden Trio, Hermione Granger. "We know, Harry. We're just worried about you. You know that, right?" Her answer was a brief nod from the brunette.

"I still say we should just leave this to the aurors." Ron said, crossing his arms. Hermoine turned to glare at him, "Ronald! You know very well that if Professor Dumbledore had trouble with those Horcruxes, no auror will be able to deal with them!"

"But to bring in _ninja_? That's crazy!" Hermoine's mouth opened quickly to reply, but she was cut off. "Ron, Dumbledore sent that letter the night before his death; five days ago. There is no way to stop it from getting to them now. They're probably reading it as we speak."

"Well, that's fine. We'll just go meet them tomorrow in Dumbledore's place." Hermoine said briskly. Harry finally tore his eyes away from the window, pinning Hermoine with a stern glare. "What? No, you can't - "

"Of course we can! We're not gonna let you have all the fun. Right, Hermoine?" She nodded in agreement, smiling. "Besides, Japan's a free country too! … Isn't it?" Ron asked, frowning.

Harry grinned, and even though it was weak, it relieved the other two to see it.

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Okay, that's the end! Be sure to leave a review. It doesn't have to be necessarily nice, but no flames either! Constructive criticism is always accepted.


	3. Chapter 3

IY: Hehe, I've finally gotten around to finishing this chapter. It was just lying around, half-finished...

Kit: Yeah, because you're so lazy.

IY: So? There's nothing wrong with relaxing on the weekends... and the weekdays...

Kit: Oh, whatever. Just get on with it.

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**Disclaimer:** I do not claim ownership to anything having to do with the Harry Potter series or the Naruto manga and anime. They are licensed to other people and I am not making any money off of this fic. I only own the plot, kindly ask for permission before taking stuff out of it.

**-**

**Warning:** Shonen-ai... and some other stuff...

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**Shinobi Horcrux Hunt:** Chapter Three  
Written by IYfanatic and her crazy muse, Kitzuko

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"Alright then, let me give you a briefing on what exactly is going on." Ron and Hermoine nodded, waiting expectantly. "This is what I learned from McGonagall the day after Dumbledore's death, before the funeral:

"Dumbledore knew that he needed help in retrieving and destroying the Horcruxes, so he decided to call in help from his friend, Sarutobi. He is the leader of a hidden ninja village, and apparently he's pretty powerful.

"But the best thing about the whole deal is that the ninja aren't involved in the war, so there's no chance that they'll join Voldemort's side. They only follow orders to get their jobs done, nothing else."

Hermoine smiled, "That's great! This way we'll get those Horcruxes in no time!" Harry nodded, a small, hopeful smile showing, " I've got my fingers crossed."

Ron perked up, realizing something. "But hey, Harry! You didn't tell us how we're gonna get to that village place." Hermoine's eyes widened, "That's right! I can't believe I forgot to ask about that!"

Harry grinned, "It's a first, 'Mione. But don't worry about it, Dumbledore had two port keys already prepared. One will get us there, and the other one will take us to HQ."

Hermoine nodded, "Alright then. I say we should get some sleep so we'll be rested for tomorrow." Harry agreed and rose from the chair he'd been sitting in.

Ron, however, picked up a Chudley Cannons book from his bedside table and settled in comfortably among his pillows. "I'm not tired yet; I think I'll read for a bit."

Harry quickly walked towards the door, knowing what was coming. "Ronald, go to bed right now." The brunette didn't have to look to know Hermoine was frowning.

"But - " Ron's voice was cut off by a loud smack, followed by, "_Now_ Ronald Weasley!" Harry smiled. It was good to know that no matter what, his friends would remain the same.

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"Oi, Shikamaru! Where's our client? I thought _we_ were the ones that were gonna be late!" The lazy brunette sighed, "It's only two minutes after eight, Naruto. The old man will be here soon."

The blonde's ears perked, "Old man? How do you know our client is old? Iruka-sensei is a teacher and he's not old!" Shikamaru smirked, "Tch, baka. If you'd been at the briefing, then you'd know the mission details."

Naruto pouted, shoulders slumping. Neji chuckled and explained to the blonde, "Our client, Dumbledore-san, is an old man. He used to be friends with Sandaime-sama, but he doesn't seem to know of his passing.

"His letter was addressed to the Hokage, and that is why it reached Tsunade-sama. Payment was included, so she did not have a reason to refuse the mission request."

Naruto seemed shocked, "If they were friends then how can the old man not know that Sandaime's dead?" Neji sighed, "Friends sometimes grow apart…" His white eyes locked onto Naruto's, causing the blonde to look away.

Shikamaru snorted, looking away from the clouds for a second. "What's with the mood all of the sudden?" Naruto blinked, "What mood?" The brunette rolled his eyes, "Never mind… So annoying…" "Oi! I heard that!"

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"So, are you guys ready to go? We need to hurry, we're late!" Harry gestured his friends forward wildly, brandishing a pair of purple earmuffs. Ron wrinkled his nose, "_That's _the portkey?"

"Oh, get over it Ronald! Hurry up and touch it." Hermoine said briskly, doing the action herself. With a morose sigh, Ron placed his finger on the violet monstrosity.

Harry took a deep breath, then said, "Konoha." He felt the familiar, yet still disconcerting, jerk behind his navel as soon as he spoke the word. Harry braced himself for impact, but he still staggered forward onto his knees.

His friends were in similar states- Hermoine was sitting on her ass and Ron had landed on his side. "Ugh, that was _not_ graceful… Are you boys okay?" Hermoine asked, concerned.

"Yeah, but we won't be for long!" Hermoine scowled, "_What_ are you babbling about Ronald? Honestly, sometimes you - " Hermoine stopped abruptly when she followed Ron's line of vision.

"Oh…" Standing before a huge wooden gate were three young men that looked to be around their age, armed with what seemed like small muggle daggers.

"Er… Hello. Is this Konoha?" Harry attempted a friendly smile, but it faded quickly when all he got in return were assessing looks from the two brunettes and a confused glare from the blonde.

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Neji quickly took charge of the situation and stepped forward. "Who are you?" It came out heavily accented but understandable, and Naruto looked amazed.

"_Whoa! I had no idea you could speak another language, Neji!" _Naruto said, grinning widely. _"It's a part of my training as Hyuuga heir," (1) _the brunette answered quickly, before focusing on the newcomers.

"Do I need to repeat myself? Who are you?" The boy with glasses jumped, and quickly started talking. "My name is Harry Potter, and these are my friends, Hermoine Granger and Ron Weasley. We came - "

Harry stopped, looking at the white-eyed boy's raised hand. "Slower." He nodded, gulped, and continued. "We came instead of Professor Dumbledore, since he's…" Harry stopped, floundering. "H-he couldn't make it."

"Why not? He is our client, not you." Neji noticed the way the boy's eyes watered behind his glasses. "Dumbledore died six days ago… That's why we came instead." Harry whispered, looking away to hide his tears.

"_Ano, don't cry."_ Naruto said, knowing he wouldn't be understood but giving it a shot anyway. Harry wiped his eyes and turned to look at the blonde, head tilted in confusion. "Huh?"

Neji intervened, "He is Uzumaki Naruto, or rather, Naruto Uzumaki. He said for you not to cry." Harry blushed, embarrassed. "Er, um, thanks." _"He said arigato, Naruto."_ The blonde beamed happily at the green-eyed boy.

"Well, I think we should carry on with the mission then. I am Neji Hyuuga, the team leader. I am the only one capable of speaking English." The Hyuuga genius pointed at the other brunette.

"This is Shikamaru Nara. He is rather lazy but very sharp. I'm sure he'll pick up the language soon. Naruto is… Well, he's strong. He'll be of help in protecting you."

Harry started, "Wait, what? Protecting me?" Neji quirked an eyebrow, "Yes, that is part of our mission, along with helping Dum- _you_ find and destroy some Horcucks things."

Hermoine giggled, "_It's _Horcrux _Neji-san." _Everyone turned to look at her, eyes wide. "What?" Hermoine sniffed, "I know a bit of the language. What of it?"

Harry grinned, and Ron simply gaped at her. "Why didn't you say anything before Hermoine?" She scowled, "I wasn't needed, Ronald. That's why." "But - " "Oh, let it _go_ Ron!"

Neji cleared his throat, effectively bringing the attention back to him. "We should get going, Tsunade-sama won't like us taking too long on this mission." Harry looked curious, "Tsunade?"

"Our Hokage." Neji said simply. "But I thought someone named Sarutobi was the leader." Harry said, confused. "Sarutobi-sama died four years ago." Harry gasped, "Sorry. I didn't know."

"It's fine. But I must insist that we get going." Neji said, white eyes sharp. "I expect that we'll be leaving in the manner in which you came?"

Hermoine answered, "Yes. We'll be traveling by portkey. It's the fastest way to travel without having a connection to the Floo Network."

Neji's face remained blank, but he honestly had no idea as to what the girl had just said. Hermoine must have picked up on his confusion, because she said, "Don't worry. I'll explain it all later."

Harry took out a pair of purple socks from his jacket pocket. "This is our portkey. You just have to put one finger on it and it'll work." The shinobi looked at them weirdly. "A pair of _socks_ is our method of transportation?" Neji asked, incredulous.

"Just touch it, please." Harry replied. _"They say that if we touch the tabi we'll get to where we need to be."_ Neji told Shikamaru and Naruto. _"They don't seem to be lying, so we're going to have to trust them. Get your packs and do it."_

Naruto seemed like he wanted to say something, but over the years he had learned how to follow orders. Hoisting their packs, they each placed a finger on the socks. As Ron and Hermoine followed suit, Ron muttered, "Purple _again_…"

With a grin, Harry said, "Headquarters." With the usual tug, they were gone.

-

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_(1)_ Okay, I'm not sure whether it'll come up later, so I'll just tell you guys now. Neji has become Hyuuga heir, since Hinata has decided to marry Kiba. They're not married yet, though. Just engaged! And some of you might wonder about Hanabi, so I've come up with an explanation. She was incapacitated during one of her missions as Genin, in order to save the rest of her team (Let's just say that she turned into less of a brat as she grew older). And you know how the Hyuuga's are all uppity and don't allow weakness? Well, they didn't want a leader that couldn't handle the Jyuuken. Therefore, Hiashi-sama came up with the idea of having Neji become heir. Since Hanabi was destined to become a branch member anyway, why not Neji? He's a genius... So yeah, there ya go. I've made up a whole little side story just to explain one little sentence, sheesh.

And REVIEW, people... It's not that hard... _pout_


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